Can't maintain but keep losing...

TavistockToad

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

I did really well and managed to put on 1/2 kilo over 3 weeks. Then it all went down the toilet. Literally.
Not stressing about it anymore. Just making sure I don't lose anymore weight so my BMI doesn't drop below 20.

Weird that I set my goal to gain 1/2 kilo a week, ate back nearly all of my exercise calories (never more than 100 calories under) and didn't really gain over a 3 week period. Must have a great metabolism.

MFP runs a bit low for me too... its just a starting off point though.

Real world data from your own body is the best way to calculate your TDEE

STEVE142142

What you have to remember is the values that mfp gives is based on a large population and everybody's going to react differently. In my opinion maintenance is actually harder than losing the weight because you have to figure out what your body requires and that's going to vary depending on your activity level and how your metabolism has changed.

I'll give you my personal experience. Over 8 months I lost approximately 80 lbs. I was going to start maintenance at 220 lb cuz I was happy with where I was. I totally screwed it up and drop down to his lowest 204 but I didn't like where I was I was skinny fat. During this time I was going to the gym 3 to 4 times a week and I was eating way above what I thought I needed but I still kept on losing. It probably took me about 2 to 3 months from my way to stabilize and I'm even shocked now these days by the amount of calories I eat.

The other issue is how accurate are your entries into my fitness pal as far as calories. unless you're weighing everything precisely you're not going to get a real value. That was probably one of the things I was doing I was overestimating my calories and not eating back enough.

pielattes1

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

I am also having a bit of a hard time with maintaining. I continued to lose for a few months after I reached my goal. Now I am mentally stuck between knowing I'm a bit underweight and not wanting to gain again for fear that I won't stop gaining. I already eat a lot, since I run a lot, and I eat back all my exercise calories. I often end up eating more than my goal, and since I'm not gaining I have figured out that my goal is probably too low. But it is discouraging to see the red number at the end of the day, even if I know that it won't hurt me to be over on my calories. I think I've found a balance, finally, but I'll only know for sure if I stay here for more than a week or two. There's a little voice in my head that wonders, "I wonder if I can lose the extra fat that still lingers?"

I am having the same difficulty- I lost the weight and met my goal then, maintained a week or two but began losing a little here and there. Now , I'm having difficulty putting a few back on (fear of putting too much on too quickly, etc.) I have MFP set for .5 kilo per week- and the same "little voice" saying the same "...what if you go over your calories-- you'll reverse all you've worked hard to achieve."

danny27greaves

Lift weights.

Rusty740

Weight is a funny thing and our bodies do react (of course) to how much we feed it. I think it's really important that you 'aren't stressing about it anymore'. That's really good for you, but it's hard.

Know that when we eat more than maintenance, our bodies tend to increase our Non-exercise Adaptive Thermogenisis NEAT. It's just basically, how much our bodies subconsciously move over the day.

From day to day, there are so many changes that cause gain (eating salty things causes you to hold water for a few days, starting resistance training causes your muscles to fill up with water) that you really shouldn't fuss about.

Adding on top of all of this is a few of gaining weight, subconsciously you might be shorting yourself calories. You might know that thin people tend to overestimate how much they eat and overweight people tend to underestimate how much they eat.

I'd suggest maybe you do a little test on yourself (if you feel up to it), try to gain 5 lbs. Really try. Like average weight over a week of measurements, not just for one day. It's actually pretty hard.

Now if you are worried about fat gain, just start lifting weights on a structured program. Maybe swap a run or two for lifting. You are in no danger of fat gain. It sounds like you're quite active, nothing to worry about.

Lillymoo01

Rusty thanks for the advice. Not stressing is making a huge difference to my wellbeing. It looks like I have finally worked out my maintenance calories which is awesome. I have been hovering around the same weight for around a month. I will keep it at this level for a few more weeks to be sure and then just increase my calories a bit to gain an extra couple of kilos.

I really need to get back into some resistance training though. Just really do not enjoy it and am quite limited on what I can do with a knee that is pretty stuffed. I can't even run or ride a bike